Becoming Minnie Darke

This essay is written from the perspective of a writer, with a back catalogue of literary titles, who has recently written a commercial romantic comedy, using a nom de plume. The essay interrogates issues surrounding the adoption of pseudonyms, giving both historical and contemporary examples. It also explores the perceived differences between literary fiction and commercial fiction, citing US writer Joyce Carol Oates's distinction between 'serious writers' and 'entertainers and propagandists'. The essay argues that serious writing and entertainment are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and that it is not desirable for them to be placed in a hierarchy of importance; both 'serious writing' and 'entertainment' offer value to the world.